Archive for April, 2013

Tomorrow we will begin our 25 day voyage to the Marquesas Islands which is 3000 nautical miles away. I hope to have good wind and weather. We have provisioned Dragonsbane with food, water and fuel. I am sad to leave the Galapagos Island because there are so many great people and travelers here to talk too. Everybody has a great story and the Island is so safe and the local people are wonderful. I wish I could have let you all see the things I have seen here. I am really starting to understand the world and all who live in it. I only hope that after I make it around the world I continue home. The world is big, dangerous, beautiful, peaceful, and lovable, but to travel through all of it is indescribable. Be grateful for the life we live in the USA, and the thing we have because the majority of the world tries to duplicate it but falls far short of ever being like the USA. I wish all my family friends the best. As always I will post via SSB radio everyday with my position, emotions, and thoughts. Wish us all Dale, Adam, Dragonsbane, and “The Dude” luck.

In our last voyage from Panama to Galapagos this was the 2 fisher men in the middle of the crossing 400 plus miles from land

Folding sails underway as we sailed

Taxi ramp where you had to take a water taxi for Sixty cents one way from your boat to the port city. The Taxis are in Yellow.

Boarding from water taxis into the ferry boat.

All the crack in our ferry boat as we traveled from San Cruz Island to Isabella Island. This was a result of the Ecuador Navy pilot boat hitting us before we left. A few people got hurt but we left anyway.

On our way to Isabella Island on the same Ferry with lots of cracks in the front hull.

Picture of a Pink Flamingo in the Flamingo Lagoon

Really big tortoise , saw lots of these guys

Iguana on San Curz Island. this one of last few of this kind left

This sea lion had no free as most animals here don’t free man.

A few local fishermen cleaning and selling fish. The Sea Lions and Pelicans are taking table scraps

The blue foot Boobies! I love boobies!

The Sea lions sleeping on the boats! Oops

The swimming Iguana’s

I circled the wiring in our hotel room for our hot water in the shower. Every tiem I touched the shower head I got shocked! I realize now why South Americans are so short!

We rode in this little truck with a homemade benches bolted to the frame.

Horses on the trial to the Volcano. We hiked up the 10 mile round trip.

Looking out over Isabella Island, Galapagos

Dale and Adam walking i the lava fields

Lava rock

Walking through the Volcano

Volcano

Lava Fields

great view of Isabella Island, Galapagos

The Volcano on Isabella Island, Galapagos

Adam and Dale walking in the lava fields

Looking out in to ocean from the top of the live volcano

Standing next to the creator of the last volcano eruption in 2005

We will be heading out to the Marquis Islands on Sunday 4/29/13. It is 3000 miles west of the Galapagos Islands. It hopefully will take less then 25 days. It should be good sailing and fishing, but we will see.

So far this was one of the most challenging dives I have completed. I was told that there were strong currents and that the experience was a must. So having 12 dives under my belt I jumped in full ass! We started our adventure at 6am, we were picked up by the dive boat off Dragonsbane and found out it was only me, Adam, and a nice guy named Bob from Canada who had 389 dives. As we zipped along the coast of San Cruz Island for about 45 minutes to Gordon Rock dive site, we were thrown forward and the engines stalled out! We hit a Manta Ray that was 20 feet long and it stopped us cold. Our dive master and us were very sad to have hit such a beautiful ray. I felt so bad because I felt like I just added to the problem of negative human interaction that you hear about in Galapagos. The dive master said it will more then likely die of its wounds.

After a sad start we made it to the site and geared up all at once. We sat on the gun whale of dive boat together and the dive master counted 3, 2, 1, we all dropped in at once. The current is so strong there that it will sweep you away if you took time jumping in one at a time. We circled up and were given the signal to dive. Submerging to 35 feet we saw a hammerhead shark right below circling. Then, the current took us for a slow ride but pulled us down to about 65 feet. We saw Eagle Rays, turtles, millions of little fish, and a school of Wahoo that had to be in the thousands as we swam through them. After 40 minutes of diving we surfaced and had the challenge of getting back into the dive boat that was going up and down in 4 foot swells and surf.

On our second dive we went to where the current really ripped hard. We all splashed in and went down quick to a rock wall where the current was pulling on you hard enough that you had to hold onto the rock. We dove for about 20 minutes but didn’t see too much and then we got to an underwater gap between two rock formations which made up Gordon Rock. The gap we passed through was about 18 feet wide and 45 feet deep as we held on to the rock bottom. As we crawled across the rock bottom and looked over a big rock bolter there was a school of 9 white tipped reef sharks 8 or 9 feet long swimming in circles 2 feet in front of us. I held onto to the top of the rock boulder as hard as I could. The current was so strong that it blew past as if my whole body was out the side of a car window going down the highway at 60 mph. The hoses from my scuba tank chattered like a flag in the wind. Then it stopped. changed direction 180 degrees and was now was pushing me into the school of sharks that where only inches from my face now. This went on for about 10 minutes. Next, the dive master Hugo, who was giving Adam his secondary air due to Adam running low on his own air tank, let go of the rock wall and shot right through the sharks. The sharks closed right around behind them and now it was my turn. I took a big breath waited for the current to spit me out through the sharks and out the gap. I let go and made it 15 feet but 1 foot short of the next wall. The current dragged me across the rock a few feet but I was able to get a grip and hold on. The second current pushed me out and I was low on air. I could not believe how fast I spent my air gong through those currents. It was a great time and I can’t wait to go again.

Doing Things Whole Assed Works Out Better Than Doing Them Half Assed! Jacques

We made landfall at 3:30pm and spent an hour anchoring in a very small anchorage but managed to fit Dragonsbane. We went to shore on San Cruz Island in Academy Bay, Galapagos Islands. The town here is very clean and the local people are very helpful. I enjoyed Tacos for $5 dollars and was stuffed. The little town was full of shops and restaurants. I am looking forward to going scuba diving and take a few tours of the islands. For now I am going to crawl into my beer and rest for the night.

Today was much like yesterday but last evening after I had sent my blog I caught a Tuna. It was a nice little tuna that I filleted up and put on ice for Sushi. For lunch I cooked up some sushi rice, and made my first sushi roll by hand. Ended up making 5 rolls and had some plain raw tuna as well. I can’t believe how good fresh tuna taste right out of the ocean. We all ate it up and can’t wait to catch more. So my fishing efforts have doubled and I used a squid that land on deck from last night. But like before I have not caught anything today but hopefully tomorrow morning.

We are only 100 miles from Galapagos Islands but the wind has died down to 5 knots and we are now moving at 1.2 knots. I think we will burn the fuel to motor the rest of the way. Another exciting fact is that we are only 2 miles north of the equator. I hope I get to see the poles marking the equator, haha just kidding. Anyway I am looking forward to making landfall but I hope we make it before the sun goes down or we will have to stay out in the ocean one more day.

I am starting to wonder what it will be like to walk on land after being on Dragonsbane for 8 days and hopefully only two more. I checked our distance remaining and we have 180 nautical miles until we get to the Galapagos Islands. When we land the fun really begins because all the locals speak only Spanish and we have to clear into the country of Ecuador. I read a interesting article from noonsite that a friend of the Family Don sent us of a recent cruiser that stopped in Galapagos Island April 4, 2013. They indicated that on San Cristobel Island the sea lions would board your sailboat if you have a sugar scope or landing at the stern of your boat. Well guess what we have a sugar scope and they said that it’s had to keep them off your boat. Great just what I need is Dragonsbane covered not only in seagull poop but, sea lion nasty poop too. I am also not sure how one gets a sea lion off your boat. I guess I will use pots and pans like I did in Boundary Waters to get the bears out of our tents. Right now I am already being followed by strange animals. Adam calls them UFF’s aka Unidentified Flying Foul which have been with us for the last few days and nights. I guess they also like company on a long journey across this dessert of water.

As we continue to sail my dad and Adam seem to be getting impatient for the soon to be landfall. They are ready to be off Dragonsbane and knee deep into Rum & Coke, but I am slowly enjoying the distance from everything. I feel so relaxed and stress free because no matter what no one can find me out here. The land problems of today don’t affect me and the idea that no matter how hard I sail Dragonsbane I will not go any faster then 7 knots. So I must sit back and enjoy the ride, read all the books I have put off my whole life, and think about all the important thing in my life. SON OF!!! I just burnt the brownies in this stupid oven! The dam thing is ether 450 degrees or colder then the air temp. Got to Go!